1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a notification system for notifying a user of a consumable product used by an electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A printing device is one of electronic device that uses such consumable products as paper, toner, and the like. When the printing device runs out of paper or toner, then a user that needs printing loads paper or replaces a toner cartridge. Loading paper and replacing a toner cartridge can be a hindrance to the user, particularly when the user needs to print material urgently, since printing cannot be performed during this time.
Various technologies have been proposed and developed to eliminate this problem. One such technology is disclosed in Japanese unexamined patent application publication No. HEI-8-230286. This technology predicts the time in which the printing device will run out of paper, notifies the administrator of the printing device or a fulltime operator who loads paper about the predicted time. Alternatively, the technology notifies the terminal that last outputted printing data.
However, this technology only notifies a specific user, such as the administrator or fulltime operator of the printing device, of the predicted time in which the printing device will run out of paper, placing a great burden on this particular person. Further, when notifying the last terminal device to output print data of the predicted time, there is a possibility that a user that does not use the printing device very often may be notified more frequently than a user that uses the printing device frequently, resulting in an unfair distribution among the users. Other technologies, such as that disclosed in Japanese patent application publication No. HEI-10-301726, have the same problem.
On some occasions when there is very little paper or the like remaining, it may be desirable to direct users to take measures as quickly as possible.